Lyon back to business after Real Madrid triumph

Printer Friendly

Share

Text Size

PARIS, Feb 19, 2010 (AFP) - Lyon get back to domestic business this weekend following their shock 1-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League when they meet mid-table side Sochaux.

The seven-time French champions will be hoping to imitate Wednesday's classy performance against the Spanish giants as they look to close an eight-point gap on leaders Bordeaux.

"We must not drop below this level," said Lyon manager Claude Puel, whose team have come under fire from some fans for failing to reproduce the entertaining brand of football of previous seasons.

Still, Puel's team are grinding out results and his side have not lost a league game in 2010. Sochaux, 13th, are also on a hot run of form and go into the game unbeaten in seven matches in all competitions.

Sochaux coach Francis Gillot said he was wary of Lyon's quality as his team look to cement their place in mid-table.

"I was more surprised at how poor Real were than Lyon's performance," he said of Wednesday's game.

"They played a great match and showed what they are capable of. When you look at the quality of their players, that doesn't surprise me."

While Puel gave his players a day's rest after their European exploits, there is no such luck for Didier Deschamps's Marseille side.

A mere 76 hours after Thursday's 3-1 Europa League last-32 first leg win at FC Copenhagen, the one-time European champions meet Nancy at the Stade Velodrome and striker Mamadou Niang is under no illusions about which competition is more important.

"We've said and we'll say it again: the league is our priority. But we are in three competitions at the moment and we will play in all of them to the best of our ability," the 30-year-old said.

Meanwhile, second-placed Montpellier could go level on points with Laurent Blanc's Bordeaux -- whose game with Auxerre has been postponed to allow them time to prepare for their Champions League trip to Olympiakos on Tuesday -- if they win away at Saint-Etienne on Saturday.

Rene Girard's newly-promoted side have been the surprise package of this season and some in French football have said they could create the ultimate upset by taking Bordeaux's league crown.

But that's not something those at the southern club like to talk about, having just returned to the top flight after five years in France's second tier.

"I don't think we will win the league. We are not thinking about that, but we are just focusing on picking up points," said striker Victor Hugo Montano.

At the other end of the table, 15th-placed Paris Saint-Germain host 11th-placed Toulouse on Saturday evening.

A string of poor results has prompted supporter protests at the Parc des Princes in recent weeks with many fans calling on PSG manager Antonie Kombouare to resign.

The capital club received a rare piece of good news on Thursday when veteran keeper Gregory Coupet, a long-term injury absentee, announced he could be ready to return the side in mid-April.

In the weekend's other games, third-placed Lille -- 2-1 winners at home to Fenerbahce in the Europa League on Thursday -- play away to eighth-placed Rennes on Sunday evening.

On Saturday, Boulogne host Le Mans, 10th-placed Valenciennes travel to basement club Grenoble and Nice welcome Lorient to the south coast.

Fixtures

Saturday (1600GMT unless otherwise stated)

Boulogne v Le Mans, Grenoble v Valenciennes, Lens v Monaco, Nice v Lorient, Saint-Etienne v Montpellier, Paris Saint-Germain v Toulouse (2000GMT)

Sunday (1600GMT unless otherwise stated)

Marseille v Nancy, Sochaux v Lyon, Rennes v Lille (2000GMT)